Spent a month in Italy during which we rented a car from Avis. Paid for the rental using Chase Sapphire which provides car rental coverage as a benefit; however, AVIS mandates that you have the CDW coverage under them. Chase told me in this case the coverage provided by Chase (via Virginia Surety) becomes secondary. One coverage I did decline - which I WISH I HADN"T - is the windshield protection. Unluckily for us, a pebble hit our windshield and created an 8-inch long crack. Upon returning the car at FCO the intake person at AVIS immediately pointed out the windshield crack, but not only that....he pointed out this TINY ding on the rim of the wheel well that wasn't documented when we initially took the car. Ultimately, we were charged $1500 USD for these two repairs!!!! (the windshield being the costlier of the two). So, I submitted a claim to Chase and after a month they replied that I am not covered since I didn't waive the AVIS' CDW coverage. I had to then submit a request for secondary review and had to send a letter explaining that AVIS's CDW was mandatory - I had no option to decline it; therefore, CHASE should kick in as the secondary insurance. It will probably be another month before I hear back and I am just assuming they will find another reason to decline my claim. What a terrible experience so far. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice? Thanks!
Posted by
Schwerin
4317 posts
First to the learning which is valid for all travelers taking a rental car: to protect yourself best from paying another one's damage is to check the car BEFORE driving the first meter for any damages, scratches and what soevers. Document these by photo or video. Take care that ALL is documented in the handover protocol (position, size, ...). If not EVERYTHING is listed do NOT drive off but ask the staff for completing the protocol. Do not forget to check and photograph the mileage and the fuel status.
Furthermore inform yourself about insurance policies such as CDW (sometimes LDW), windshield and tires and others.
When a damage occurred inform the rental car firm immediately and document the damage in a detailed way (when, where, who, what, photo / video). A rental car firm which finds a new large damage on car return will not have much trust in the contract partner.
Jol, in your case: asking the forum for mountain areas like Dolomites and not choosing full insurance, esp. windshield and tyres, was not the best decision as you mentioned yourself. Your described behavior seems to be negligently; so the damage is yours, also to fully pay it; just my opinion, no law-based judgement.
Tip: What you can try is to register a complaint at European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS).
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1957 posts
CDW is included by law on car rentals within the EU and GB. Is it not possible to decline it. You are only ever responsible for the excess (deductible US term). This varies in amount depending on the company but is typically €1000 or so.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Some may not agree that this should be under travel scams, but I don't think a cracked windshield & a tiny little ding should cost upwards of $1500 USD. I definitely did many things wrong, lessons learned & never again. But I came back to report something that is NOT a scam - the secondary insurance from CHASE Sapphire came through for me!!!! The process wasn't terrible, just slightly painful but at the end I am receiving reimbursement for (almost) the entire amount. YAY! So I'm here to vouch for that car rental insurance benefit from Chase Sapphire - awesome!!!!
Posted by
London
2234 posts
I don't think a cracked windshield & a tiny little ding should cost upwards of $1500 USD
Repairs on cars are expensive. Labour costs a lot.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
7537 posts
Glad this all worked out well for you, and thanks for coming back to update and set the record straight.
FWIW, I've saved many thousands of dollars over the years on rental car insurance by utilizing the coverage provided by my credit card (and plan to continue doing so as long as I'm driving).
But some of what you posted originally is simply not true.
Details matter. Any time one rents a car and/or buys insurance (or declines it), you should understand the details and pay attention to them. Cars cost tens of thousands of dollars (and car repairs are not cheap), and paying someone to borrow their car (what we call "renting") is serious business. So the details of the legal contracts you sign, and your responsibilities, should be taken serious, too (though many people blithely ignore them). The general rule for the coverage provided by Chase cards, in order for their insurance to be in force (ie valid), you need to decline all OPTIONAL insurance offered THAT CAN BE declined (read those words carefully, and verify with Chase before you rent). That means, where some insurance is included in the rental by law - it can't be declined - that's OK, just decline all that you can, and you should be good to go. Your experience appears to confirm that's true and the insurance that Chase provides will come through. It's an important (though perhaps subtle) point. Always, always read the details, understand them, and if in doubt/when necessary, ask the Chase insurance people to confirm what you believe their language says (they're easy to reach by phone, 24/7 and are helpful and responsive IME).
BTW, $1500 to replace a windshield and a wheel rim is not at all out of line.
Bottom line: Know about the coverage you have (no matter how you get it, by paying at the counter or waving your credit card). If you don't bother to understand the details, then don't complain and accuse others of "scams" if something goes sideways. It may have come as a shock to you, but the experience you describe above is really not unusual (cars are expensive, and the insurance provided by your card is pretty reliable as best I can tell). Glad you got the happy ending this time.
Posted by
California USA
4336 posts
As far as the cost being high, our DIL just experienced a cracked windshield when driving to our house last week. The cost to repair it was about $1300 USD. I was shocked but the explanation was that many newer cars with cameras and sensors in the windshields need to be recalibrated with the car’s onboard systems when a new windshield is installed. Eye opening and cautionary for me. Fortunately she did have some collision insurance but with a $500 deductible.